The present disclosure is directed generally to an air conditioning pack (“ACP”), and more specifically, to a water extractor for an ACP.
Air cycle machines (“ACMs”) are used as part of ACPs for processing a pressurized air source, such as bleed air from a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. ACMs compress air in a compressor section which is discharged to a downstream heat exchanger and further routed to a turbine. The turbine extracts energy from the expanded air to drive the compressor. The air output from the turbine is utilized as an air supply for a vehicle, such as a cabin of an aircraft. ACMs are used to achieve a desired pressure, temperature, and humidity in the air that is transferred to the environmental control system (“ECS”) of the aircraft to provide cooled air to the cabin and a cockpit of the aircraft.
Water extractors used in ACPs are designed to extract water from bleed air that is flowing through the ACP. This process is required because if moist air is allowed to enter the ACM turbines, the water could freeze on the turbine blades or cause a flow blockage resulting in premature ACM and ACP failure. Therefore, it is important to remove this water and provide dry air to the ACM turbines.
Existing water extractors for ACPs are designed to operate in a horizontal flow orientation. Such an orientation can be accommodated during new design programs. However, off-the-shelf ACPs, or ACPs previously designed for use on another program, are sometimes proposed for use in new design programs as a way to reduce development costs. If the off-the-shelf ACP is installed in a new aircraft in a different orientation to that used in the original design, then the water extractor may not be in a horizontal orientation resulting in reduced water extraction efficiency and potential ACM failure.